microsanctuaryfandomcom-20200214-history
Implants
Deslorin (Suprelorin) Implant FAQ on SUPRELORIN F (deslorelin acetate 4.7 mg) implant for hens What is the implant, and why do you recommend it? * The SUPRELORIN (deslorin acetate) implant is a subcutaneous (under-the-skin) implant that is administered every about 3 months to prevent severe reproductive illness in hens. * The implant is also available in a higher dose, longer-lasting formulation, but to avoid confusion we are referring only to the 4.7 mg dosage. How does the implant work? * The implant blocks the release of two hormones responsible for ovulation (egg production). It is analogous in general concept to the human birth control implant, Implanon, which also stops ovulation. How is the implant administered? * An implant is about the width and length of a long grain of rice, and comes in a sterile package, pre-loaded into a syringe. * The vet or caretaker will clean the implant site (along the chicken’s back, or under the wing) with antiseptic, lift a small area of skin, puncture the skin with the sterile needle, push the plastic plunger, seal the opening with surgical glue, and dispose of the used needle in a sharps container. * Some vets may inject the site with a local anesthetic in order to help with pain relief. General anesthetic is not necessary for this simple procedure, and introduces unnecessary risk. Where do I find the implant? * The implant must be ordered through a licensed veterinarian. It cannot be ordered online or over the counter. Usually, a vet will prefer to personally administer the medication in the office to ensure that the procedure is done properly and that the bird is in a good state of health to receive an implant. How much does the implant cost? * As of November 2017 in the Denver Metro Area, 4.7 mg deslorin implants cost between $135-220 each, depending on the vet office. This proactive approach of providing preventive reproductive health care gives rescued animals a healthier quality of life, and also prevents dangerous and expensive procedures such as full spays of impacted hens. A full spay could cost $1000 and may not save a life. * The Microsanctuary Movement has a Hen Healthcare Reproductive Fund (grant program) specifically dedicated to helping caretakers access this vital medicine for the animals in their care. http://microsanctuarymovement.org/grants * We believe that animal lives are valuable, and that a chicken deserves the same quality of medical care as a beloved dog or cat. Additionally, avian medicine may be more costly than dog and cat medicine, because of the increased level of training needed to care for avian patients. Caregivers should budget for these increased costs when considering how many birds to adopt and care for in the long term. Do large sanctuaries do this? * Some large sanctuaries do implant hens but for many, implanting dozens of laying hens continuously would be cost-prohibitive. One of the advantages of the microsanctuary model is that each caretaker is typically responsible for a smaller number of residents. More resources (financial, time, space) are available per bird, and implanting 1-2 birds or even a small flock of six is actually feasible. How long does the implant last? How do I know when the next implant is due? * Female chickens will need to be re-implanted every 3 months on average. Ideally, a caretaker will be proactive and anticipate when the next implant is due before it is overdue. In rare cases, an implant may last 6 months or more. On occasion, an implant may not function at all and a bird may need to be reimplanted immediately. * The hen’s comb will start to grow and become redder when the hormones are being active again. When the hen starts laying again, the implant is already overdue and the hen should be reimplanted immediately before any dangerous egg material might accumulate. * In addition to full-size and shelled eggs, caretakers should also be on the lookout for abnormally small or odd-shaped eggs, thin-shelled eggs, or “lash eggs,” which all could signify reproductive disease. Isn’t it unnatural? * Unlike most domestic hens, who have been selectively bred to lay eggs year-round, wild fowl breed and lay primarily in spring. The Red Jungle Fowl lays 10-15 eggs per year, and the average size of each brood is 4- 6 chicks. Since first being domesticated 5,000 years ago, chickens have been selectively bred to lay 25 times as many eggs per year as their wild ancestors. * Our view as anti-speciesist caretakers is that very little about the domestic chicken is “normal” or “natural,” and that the least that we can do is mitigate the harm we have caused over the last few millennia of manipulating genetics. Implanting hens helps them to return to a more comfortable and “natural” or ancestral state. * Feeding eggs back to chickens is a powerful anti-speciesist act of returning nonhumans’ property and giving them a nice treat. However, it does not reduce the risks of ovarian cancer, egg-laying peritonitis, and other reproductive diseases. Additionally, if a hen is on an antiparasitic, antifungal, or antibiotic medication, the eggs must be thrown away for 8 weeks in order to prevent the medication from being “recycled” indefinitely. Are there any side effects? * Hens will typically molt, or lose and regrow their feathers, after receiving the implant. Caretakers in cold environments should ensure that hens are in an adequately warm environment while they are regrowing new feathers. * The comb will shrink in size and may become less bright red in color. * Appetite may temporarily decrease. When is the implant contraindicated (unsafe to administer)? * The implant may exacerbate certain tumors, and may worsen the health condition of sick hens. All hens should be evaluated by a skilled avian veterinarian before receiving their first implant, to ensure that they will benefit from the treatment. What are alternatives to the implant? * The Microsanctuary Movement recommends the implant as the safest, most cost effective, and most proactive method of preventing and managing reproductive disease. * Lupron is a hormone injection that some caretakers have chosen to use instead of the implant, especially where the implant is not available. This route is more expensive because the medication must be administered monthly in the vet’s office instead of every few months. * Spaying is much more risky for an avian patient, because of the risk of general anesthesia and the much more invasive procedure of removing a hen’s oviduct. In addition to being risky, a spay procedure is also much more expensive, and because the ovaries are left intact and without intervention will continue to ovulate (produce eggs), a spayed hen will still need to be implanted for life. * There are no known herbal or non-pharmacological alternatives to stopping egg production. Hens will lay fewer eggs in fall and winter, because fewer daylight hours signify to hens’ bodies “not spring” and “not safe for baby chicks,” but will not stop laying completely under healthy circumstances. (Egg farms carefully manipulate light levels year-round in order to maximize egg production during the 1.5-2 years that hens are kept alive.) A hen who suddenly stops laying should be seen immediately by an experienced avian veterinarian, because she may be in imminent danger from egg impaction or other severe reproductive illness. ' ' #